54 



THE SNAKES OF SOUTH AFRICA. 



Colour — Brown above ; yellow on the underparts. 

 Average length— i foot to i foot 6 inches. 



Distribution — Common throughout South Africa. Not recorded north 

 of the Zambesi. 

 6. Typhlops delalandii. Delalandi's Blind Snake. 



Colour — Pale brown above each scale, with a darker central spot ; 



yellowish on the under- 

 parts. 

 Average length — i foot. 

 Distribution — Occurs all over 

 South Africa. Not re- 

 corded north of the Zam- 

 besi. 



7. Typhlops mucroso. The Vari- 

 able Blind Snake. 



Synonym — Onychocephalus 



mucroso. 

 Colour — Upper parts variable in 



colour; lower parts uniform 



yellowish. 

 Average length — i foot to i foot 



6 inches. 

 Distribution — Transvaal ; De- 



lagoa Bay ; Rhodesia ; 



Zambesi Regions ; North 



to East and Central 



Africa. 



8. Typhlops dinga. The Rusty- 

 red Blind Snake. 



Synonym — Onychocephalus 

 dinga. 



Colour — Rusty red above, with 

 confluent black spots. 



Average length — 2 feet to 2 feet 

 6 inches. 



Distribution — Southern Rho- 

 desia ; Portuguese East 

 Africa. 



9. Typhlops scHLEGELii. Schlegel's 

 Blind Snake. 



Synonym - — Onychocephalus 

 schlegelii. 



Colour — Uniform olive - brown 

 above, or parti - coloured 

 yellow and ohve-brown, the 

 latter colour forming ir- 

 regular blotches ; lower 

 parts uniform yellow. 



Average length — i foot 6 inches 



to 2 feet. 

 Portuguese East Africa ; Central 



HEADS AND TAILS OF TYPHLOPS 

 SNAKES, SHOWING ARRANGE- 

 MENT OF SCALES. 

 Fig. 24. — 36. Head and lower jaw. 

 3d. Tail, showing the spine at the tip B. 

 5 a. Head viewed from above. 

 56. Head viewed from the side. 

 5c. Head viewed from below. 

 5rf. Tail showing spine at end. 

 Vent is at part marked A. Eyes are covered 

 by scales. (From Brit. Mus. Cat. Snakes.) 



Distribution — Southern Rhodesia 



Africa. 



Typhlops schinzi. Black-spotted Blind Snake. 

 Colour — Yellowish above, with small black spots. 

 Average length — 8 inches. 

 Distribution — Northern parts of Cape Colony ; Little Namaqualand 



